


Something Sweet

by twitch



Series: kylux cantina prompts [27]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comfort, Disappointment, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 15:56:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16411505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twitch/pseuds/twitch
Summary: Hux had really been looking forward to going trick-or-treating. Too bad he wasn't really familiar with the American customs of Halloween.





	Something Sweet

**Author's Note:**

> A fill for the kylux cantina. Theme: Autumn. - Prompt: Nobody will go trick-or-treating with Armie, and at 21, he's too old for it anyway - but he just moved to the States, and wanted to have a real American Halloween.

Armitage pressed the button, watching the dull light appear under his finger. 

With a creak and a thud the locking mechanism gave way, the door opening halfway.

“Trick or treat,” he mumbled, digging into the vending machine for his candy bar. 

Carrying his aero bar in hand, his other hand clenched alongside his hip, plastic loot bag dragging along the floor, he took the stairs back up to his dorm room. His tail barely avoided snagging in the door behind him. Slinking through the common room, not that he needed to worry about it, the whole floor quiet, he made his way to his room.

With a huff and a frown his painted whiskers drooped further. 

The put out portion of his mind wanted to eat the chocolate in two bites. The sensible part, knowing that this was his only chocolate for the night, took a small bite, chewing it slowly. What with his goal of trick-or-treating painfully cut short. He would make the candy bar last night, or at least as long as possible. 

Leaving his loot bag on the floor he shuffled his slippers off before scooting fully onto his bed. He tried lying down but had to shuffle the tail off to the side in order to get comfortable. 

Once his head was on the pillow he took another bite before stretching to perch the chocolate on his desk. Made sure his hand was clean before tucking it behind his head, fingertips playing with his headband, then stroking his ear. 

Everyone at the university had been excited for Halloween, chatting about it since the end of September. It really was as hyped up as the American television shows made it out to be. For his year schooling in the U.S. he’d been preparing for this since July. He didn’t want to go with an outright costume, even though for the tail and headpiece he needed to go to a specialty shop. Yet he was able to find a shirt and not-too-tight tights, both soft, remarkably only a slight difference in shades. With the help of fabric paints he had worked in his free time to create the illusion of fur; dabbed white along the middle of his shirt and into the waist line of his pants. Make-up, gloves, socks and slippers later, his look was complete. 

He set out that night, first to grab Poe. But Finn came to answer the door, the laughter of several people coming from behind him. The bowl of popcorn in Finn’s hand had Armitage hesitating, bouncing his loot bag at his side.

“Hey Snap, took you long e-“ Poe appeared behind Finn, almost pulling him back but stopped, grinning when he saw him. “So that’s what you’ve been working on the past month, it looks great!”

The fact that neither Poe or Finn had on a costume nearly had him turning away. Yet he was sure that Poe, of all people, could throw together something at the last minute. “Do you want to go trick-or-treating?” Hux asked. 

“There’s not really any trick or treating on campus,” Poe explained, frowning a little. 

Finn gave Poe a sharp look. Hux was waiting for him to rebut Poe for something but instead Finn glanced back to him. “We’re watching horror movies, if you want to join us,” Finn offered.

“It’s alright, I’ll ask Rey.” He thought he heard a hissed in take of breath but he was already setting off down the hallway, tail flopping against his legs. 

He knocked on Rey’s door but she wasn’t in.

He had made it to Rose’s floor when she was entering the stairwell, several loot bags in each of her hand. Hope restored he clamoured up the rest of the steps to the landing. “You’re going out?”

Rose looked to him, cocking her head before laughing, checking him from head to foot and back to his face. “I didn’t recognise you for a second, you look fantastic! Great job on the costume.”

“You’re going out trick-or-treating, right? You’ve got the loot bags.” He bit his tongue, shoulders jumping in anticipation. “Can I come with you?” 

Her expression falling cut his enthusiasm to the quick. 

“I wish you could.” Sighing, twisting her fingers into the plastic handles, she gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m going out with kids tonight who go to the daycare that I’m doing my placement at. There are several volunteers going out, and even if you wanted to come, we had to do police background checks prior to our placements. You’d need a background check done too and they take up to several weeks to be cleared and approved.”

There was no point in arguing. It was all legal procedure that he knew about, and which he would never try to finagle his way through, but it didn’t mean he liked being denied a third time. He did however have to ask. “Do you know where Rey is?” 

“She’s been working weekends at a Haunted House escape room. And of course, tonight is their busiest night.” Once Rose said it Hux crinkled his nose, and whiskers, having forgotten entirely. “Oh! But Phasma, she’s going out to a costume party!”

That sounded hopeful. “Do you know where it is?” 

“No, but it’s got to be downtown somewhere, text her – she’ll let you know.”

But even now, lying on his bed, the three text messages he sent her remained unanswered. 

Sliding his phone onto his desk, snatching back his candy bar, he was about to take another bite. A knock on the door interrupted him. Knowing that all his friends were busy he shrugged and bit into the chocolate.

Several knocks followed, accompanied by the last voice he wanted to hear. “Hux, I know you’re in there! Unless you’re roadkill at this point.”

He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to chew faster, but the knocking resumed, faster and louder. Hastily swallowing he barked out. “Shut your damn mouth Kylo! And go away!”

“Poe’s words – not mine! He wanted me to check up on you.”

Screwing his face up he rolled his eyes. “Figures.” Dragging his tongue over his teeth, not wanting to open the door with chocolate stains, he hurried to his door. In the event that there were people on his floor spending a quiet night in he didn’t want Kylo disrupting them. Unlocking his door he opened it to give Kylo the glare he reserved specially for him. “Assure Poe that I’m perfectly fine, then go on your way.”

Kylo stepped back to give room but smirked, leaning against the doorframe. “Hey… so, what does the fox say?”

Cheeks and whiskers twitching, Hux snarled. “He says leave!”

Slamming the door shut was made difficult by Kylo keeping his foot between door and the doorframe, even though he did recoil the rest of his body. Hux did hope that maybe the door would hit his nose but Kylo was too fast for that. “Easy, easy,” Kylo interjected, drawling the second word out as he opened the door wide enough to slip inside the room. “Why are you all dressed up but hiding in here?” 

“Because Phasma is too busy having fun at the costume party to tell me where it is.” He sank down on his bed, squirmed and fished his tail out of the way. His bag, underfoot, crinkled, and he crossed his arms. Kylo, remaining standing, looking at him, had him jerking his gaze away, towards his desk and silent phone. “And – and no one was available to go out trick-or-treating with me.”

“Dressing up for costume parties is what most people over the age of sixteen do – typically.” The smug tone that Hux was all too familiar with, when Kylo was speaking to him, was gone, replaced with something softer. On anyone else Hux would’ve labeled it as apologetic. “Trick-or-treating is a kids thing. I stopped trick-or-treating when I was twelve.” 

It felt like the chocolate was wedged in his throat, tight and on the verge of choking him. Breath trapped in his lungs, he smoothed his thumb over his nails, pretending he was admiring the black polish he coated them with, visible for the dollar store gloves that he cut the tips off. “Oh.” Exhale pushing air out into the dejected sound, he slumped forward. 

He registered Kylo moving in front of him, hands patting down his pockets, pulling out his phone from his back pocket. “I know someone who’s going to the party later, let me text him, I can let you know where it’s happening.”

“Don’t bother,” Hux muttered, shaking his head, jostling his headband and fox ears. “Just pass me my chocolate and leave me be.” 

“But you’re dressed up, everyone should see you. You would easily win a prize.” Kylo still held his phone, unmoving. 

Scraping his teeth against his lower lip, smudging the black makeup over his nose with his thumb, he looked up. “We don’t do Halloween in England – not the same way like you do here. Sure, there can be costume parties, but not everyone trick-or-treats. Where I grew up, no one did. No one decorated. Your television shows… make it out to be that everyone goes out trick-or-treating. Instead, I had to pay over a dollar to get one lousy chocolate bar from a vending machine.” 

At last Kylo picked up his candy bar, offering it to him when he sat down beside him. “For the record, Halloween isn’t always a guaranteed fun time. Where I grew up, I spent… more than half my Halloweens in thermal pants and sweater under my costume.” Hux glanced to him, confusion clear in his expression. “Warm clothes for freezing weather. I would’ve froze if not for them. And if I’m not mistaken, tonight is supposed to rain. Your makeup would’ve been running after a block’s worth of houses, if you had gone out.” 

“I wanted to.” Breaking off a piece of chocolate, but keeping it in his hand, watching it melt over his fingertips, Hux sighed. “Holidays were never fun for me, at any age, with my family. If I went to any parties they were all business parties that my dad attended. All adults, I was expected to be quiet. Be seen and not heard. I never got to go to anyone’s birthday party, let alone have a party myself. Birthdays or Christmas, I only ever got one present from my parents. And sweets? Christmas, Easter, Halloween – I never got any candies. Never even had a pie or a cake. This.” Lifting up his fingers to eye-level, what remained of the chocolate had melted between thumb and forefinger. “Is my first.” 

Kylo cleared his throat, trying to blink his eyes to something less wide. “That’s… pretty damn miserable.” 

“That’s a Hux for you.” Sucking on his finger, he raised an eyebrow to Kylo. “First time also for me to agree with you.”

Kylo tried for a smile but shook his head faintly. “Are you sure you don’t want to go out to a party? I’ll go out with you.”

“No offence, but I really had my heart set on some chocolates.” Realising how silly that was he laughed lowly. “I’m sure the parties would have some food but… Poe and Finn’s horror movies and parties aren’t putting the Halloween spirit back into me.” 

“Hearing Poe’s scared shriek would get you into the laughing spirit,” Kylo commented, glancing to him.

“As enticing as that is, no.” With one last sigh he forced himself straight, shoulders back. “I’ll just finish my chocolate and clean up. I’ll be boring for the rest of the night.”

Kylo stood, but not without his hand lingering behind, repositioning his headband and ears to sit properly. “You want me to stay for a while?” 

He looked up briefly, surprised to find Kylo looking fairly sincere. “No, you don’t need to. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

He didn’t think anything of Kylo hesitating before murmuring his goodbye, his hand and phone steady when he laid down on his bed. 

He couldn’t hold back his smile when he arrived to his lecture the following afternoon, his usual seat occupied by one of Rose’s loot bags, and a variety of candies and chocolates filling it. 

And even though he knew he owed his friends many thanks, it was Kylo waiting for him in the hall after the hour was up. He wouldn’t admit it to the others, but they weren’t there, so he didn’t have to think of any excuses for why he hugged Kylo.

**Author's Note:**

> If interested you can follow me over at [Tumblr](http://centurytwitch.tumblr.com).


End file.
